Pen used by Lyndon B. Johnson to sign the 1964 Civil Rights Act: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

One of the pens used by President Lyndon B. Johnson to sign the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and presented to Congressman William M. McCulloch.

An Esterbrook pen with an Esterbrook 2668 nib. The pen has a black plastic grip and a clear plastic body, with [THE PRESIDENT- THE WHITE HOUSE] printed in white ink. [ESTERBROOK] and [MADE IN U.S.A.] are imprinted on the black pen grip. Type reading: [ESTERBROOK / 2668 / MADE IN USA] is imprinted on the nib.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: July 2, 1964
• Created by: Esterbrook Pen Company, American, 1947 - 1967
• Used by: President Lyndon Baines Johnson, American, 1908 - 1973
• Received by: William Moore McCulloch, American, 1901 - 1980
• Type: fountain pens
• Medium: metal , plastic , paper
• Dimensions: L x W (pen): 6 1/4 x 1/2 x 1/2 in. (15.9 x 1.3 x 1.3 cm)
• Dimensions: L x W (box): 7 1/8 x 1 1/8 x 5/8 in. (18.1 x 2.9 x 1.6 cm)
• Place used: White House, Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Civil Rights
• Topic: Law
• Topic: Local and regional
• Topic: Politics
• Topic: Race discrimination
• Topic: Race relations
• Topic: Segregation
• Object number: 2012.147ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of James F. Dicke, II
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.